April 16th, 2009
Tuesday night, Jen and I ventured out to The Clubhouse, a restaurant/bar on the north side of San Luis Obispo. Our main reason for going was to attend the weekly singer/songwriter showcase. We arrived a little after the showcase had started to find the bar area completely packed. Standing room only. We hung out and caught a few songs, then we decided to duck in to the restaurant side of The Clubhouse to get some food. We would’ve liked to have stayed in the bar, but it was clear that it was gonna be awhile before we’d be able to get a table. And you know how Jen gets when her blood sugar starts to run low…
We were seated at a booth and immediately brought a basket of some kind of rye bread with butter. The bread was fresh, served warm and had a good taste. Jen noted that there was probably some kind of nut in the bread, as it had an occasional crunch to it.
Next, it was time to place our drink order. Being the adventurous types we are, we both asked for Pepsi. I began perusing the menu and noted a couple things that I thought were odd. First, there were no prices listed. This was worrisome to me, as I didn’t want to get stuck with a big bill. But we were there, so we had to go with it. The other thing was a note at the top of he sandwich/burger section of the menu that read something like, “These items are only served in the bar after 5PM.” Neither of us had any intention of ordering big entrees, and we had come into the restaurant because the bar was full. But when our server returned to take the order, he didn’t balk at our choices, so I guess they don’t always enforce that rule. I ordered the Club burger with cheddar cheese and a Caesar side salad:
Jen ordered a half tri-tip sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries:
After we placed our order, we were told that the staff was having some trouble with the CO2 tanks for the soda fountain, but that they’d bring our drinks out as soon as things were fixed. Then, a little while later, we were informed that the problem wasn’t fixable, so we both opted for iced tea instead, which was fine. Then we waited for the food. And we waited some more. Besides us, there were only two or three other parties in the restaurant, and the service did seem kinda slow. But that could be chalked up to the fact that the bar was pretty busy, and people were ordering food there as well. Now, on to the food.
My burger was good. Maybe a little overcooked, but not to the point where it bothered me. The bun was toasted, which is nice. The Club burger comes with a Dijon mayonnaise that was present but not overpowering. I also put some lettuce and a little bit of onion onto the burger. Unfortunately, the cheddar cheese I had asked for was nowhere to be found. The Caesar side salad was good. The dressing complimented the cheese well, and it seemed like I could sense a little bit of onion in there, too. The small tomatoes, however, were unnecessary. I’m not a fan of raw tomatoes, and that’s part of the reason I ask for Caesar salads. Anytime I receive a Caesar with anything other than lettuce, dressing, cheese and possibly croutons, it’s a disappointment. Regardless, the tomatoes were removed easily enough. Jen enjoyed her tri-tip. I asked if there was anything on the sandwich and she said no. (Which is how she likes it.) She also liked the sweet potato fries. I tried a few, and I agree with her assessment.
After we finished the meal, we had our iced teas refilled and waited for our server to return with the check. And then we waited some more. It was during this time that Jen commented on how cold it was inside the restaurant. And she was right. It was a windy night in San Luis, and the air was much cooler han normal. The Clubhouse has a big fireplace in the corner, but for whatever reason, it wasn’t being utilized. Would’ve been nice, though. When the server finally came back, I handed over my debit card without even seeing the bill. I wasn’t trying to create some kind of high-roller image. I just didn’t want him to drop off the bill and then have to wait again for him to come back. I was still worried about the cost of the meal, but all I had with me was the debit card and $8.00 in cash, so the card was going to have to cover it. I was relieved to find that the cost of the meal was only a little over $20.00, so it was no big deal. We took our iced teas and headed back into the bar to enjoy the rest of the evening’s musical offerings. And we were treated to some fine performances. Overall, we enjoyed our meal at The Clubhouse, and I’d be fine to eat there again. I’ll give the place the benefit of the doubt for some of the negative things we experienced. I think it was just an odd night for the staff, and that happens everywhere from time to time.
UPDATE: Jen has informed that prices are listed on the menu. I just didn’t see them.
April 17th, 2009 at 8:44 am
tristan and i used to go there for lunch quite a bit. the prices are really TINY on the menu and it took me awhile to figure it out. but ive never been there for dinner. the goat cheese salad is good if you like goat cheese.
April 19th, 2009 at 2:17 am
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